Senior Congress leader and former Union minister during the UPA rule, Shashi Tharoor while attacking the present Narendra Modi-led government said that flagship schemes like Make in India, Startup India and Digital India cannot bring attractive foreign investments in the country if hatred against minorities is condoned at the same time.

In his keynote address to the Harvard University's
annual Indian convention 2016 in Boston Shashi
Tharoor, as reported by Financial times, said, "If on one
hand, we go around saying Make in India, Startup India
and Digital India and want to attract foreign investors, we can't
do so if we are condoning hatred in India at the same time."

In
Focus

Tharoor also attacked the
government for its inaction against those ruling party members who in
past made various outrageous statements against minorities. He said
that such statements undermine the soft power of India.

The Congress leader also
said that the "precious pluralism like a civilizational asset"
must be preserved if India wants to attract foreign investors.
Addressing the students he claimed that one of his investor friends
did not invest in India because of various intolerance related
incidents that took place.

Tharoor in his speech
directed towards the government said that the country needs to fix
its domestic problems first to make itself credible as a nation.

"The truth is that we have to do
enough to keep our people, healthy, well and secure not just from
jihadi terrorism. Progress is being made but not enough to reach
everyone," Tharoor added.

Defending his party, he said that the
perception that the Congress is the most corrupt party of India is
wrong.